ACADEMY OF SCIENCE FOR 1953 87 Reptiles of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahomal ROBERT G. WEBB and .A. L ORTENBUBGER, UnITerslt)- of , Norman Since Ortenburger's list of amphibians and reptiles from the Wichita Mountains appeared (12), additional collections by various workers have increased the number of known species of reptiles from the region. It seems advisable to assemble the existing records of the reptUian fauna so that a recent summary will be .available. This list includes all the reptiles known from Comanche County. Most or the records however, are from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and reflect more intensive collecting in this mountainous area than in the adjacent lower parts of the county. A few species reported from the low­ lands have not as yet been collected in the mountains. 'There are no reptiles confined to the Wichita Mountains. Notes on the taxonomy and habits of certain species are included when pertinent. Localities are given for those species that have not been taken In the Refuge. All specimens are deposited in the University of Oklahoma Museum of Zoology (UOMZ) (Now the University of Oklahoma Museum, Division of Zoology). Mr. Frank B. McMurray, former biologist at the Refuge is responsible for many of the records and has donated a large series of specimens to the University of Oklahoma. The Wichita Mountains are located mostly in Comanche County but extend westward through Kiowa County to eastern Greer County. The Refuge, comprising 61,480 acres, is located in the northwestern part of Comanche County about 25 miles north of Fort sm, and occupies a dis­ sected plateau at an elevation of approximately 1600 feet. It is in a rugged, mountainous area largely composed of granite and gabbro; the slopes and hillsides are in many places covered with large boulders. There are many man-made lakes and several permanent creeks with cool, clear water. Forests of oak, elm, ash, and walnut border the streams and occur in protected valleys. Grassland associations comprise the lowlands of Comanehe County and are transitional from the tall-grass prairies of the east to the short-grass plains of the west. The climate Is hot and dry in the summer and usually free from extreme cold and snow in the winter. The physical, climatic, and biotic conditions of the Wichita Mountains have been treated in some detail by Blair and Hubbell (1), and have also been commented upon by Sturgis (22). Actual specimens cannot be found to substantiate the reports from Comanche County of Trionyx muticus Le Sueur, Eumeces anthracin1L8 Baird, or Natrix lasciata confluens Blanchard. The latest edition of the check list (14) has been used as a guide; following Schmidt we are omitting parentheses enclosing author's names. 8R PROCEEDINGS OF THE OKLAHOMA

Sn:oms LIsT Ohelllf1,ra aerpenttna lerpentina Llnnaeus, Common snapping turtle. Kin08ternon flave8cena flave8cen8 Agassiz, Yellow mud turtle. Two specimens, UOMZ 19990-91, from 6 miles southeast Lawton. There Is also a record from Lawton (Smith and Leonard) (18). Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz, Ornate box turtle. Graptem1ls pseudogeographica ouachitensis Cagle, Ouachita sawback turtle. Ii'lve specimens (Am. Museum Nat. Hist. 65522-26) from Medicine Creek near Fort sm, discussed by Carr (6, 7), have been relegated to this subspecies by Cagle (5). P,eUdem1l8 scripta elegan8 Wled, Red-eared turtle. Cagle (4) reported the occurrence,of two separate postocular red spots In Individuals from northwestern. Louisiana and central ; this condition is prevalent in specimens collected near Lawton. Of a total of 22 specimens, 14 individuals have a large single postocular blotch on each side of the head; the blotch is entire posteriorly (not continuous with the lateral stripe) and enters the orbit; It is somewhat constricted anteriorly. In one specimen, UOMZ 23018, the anterior constriction is very pronounced and near the point ot separation. The blotch in two specimens, UOMZ 12987 and 23001, is continuous with the lateral stripe posteriorly. On two specimens, UOMZ 23006-07, the postOCUlar blotch is separate on one side of the head but continuous posteriorly with the lateral stripe on the other side ot the head. Four individuals, UOMZ 22996, 23008, 23009, and 23013, have two separate postocular blotches on either side ot the head, the smaller one anterior. The two blotches are barely separated in 22996; a thin vertical light stripe separates the two blotches in 23008. Trion1lx lerox emor1li Agassiz, Emory's soft-shelled turtle. maculata maculata Girard, Northern earless lizard. Ortenburger (11) reported Holbrookia m. lacerata from Oklahoma based on one specimen trom Comanche County; the specimen is now in the U. S. Nat. Museum, #44981. The single specimen available, UOMZ 26671, has a dorsal pattern of large well-defined, sharp-edged brown spots and lacks thE> sprinkling of white dots, thus approaching the dorsal coloration ascribable to H. m. lacerata' (16). However, there are no black spots under the tail as is characteristic of lacerata. Of the 189 specimens of Holbrookia maculata examined from Oklahoma, none have any semblance of black subcaudal spots. Orotaph1ltus colZaris collaris Say, Eastern collared lizard. Home range and/or territoriality tendencies have been noticed on different occasions as individuals seemed to have specific retreats aod basking sites. 8celoporus undulatus consobrinus Baird and Girard, Southern prairie lizard. Evidence resulting from a study of a series of 8celoporus undvlatu8 from Comanche County is perhaps indicative of intergradation between the two subspecies, S. u. garmani and S. u. consolJrinus. Males have definite blue gular and belly patches and are thus not referable to 8. v. garman'. Smith (16) gives a femoral pore count average for 8. v. consobrin¥8 of 16.2 with extremes of 11·21 based on 231 counts in which 88.7 percent were 16 or more. This is significant from. his comparable findings for 8. u. garmani which had a femoral pore count average of 12.9 with extremes of 16-16 based on 163 counts in which 6.7 per cent were 16 or more. The avaUable series of l1zards ACADEMY OF SCIENCE FOR 1963 89

shows a .femoral pore count average of 13.8 with extremes of 10-18 ba8ed on 197 counts in which 18.3 per cent were 15 or more. n is realized that a comparison of a restricted geographic sample (Comanche County) with the material utUized by Smith, which included specimens scattered throughout the known geographic range of the sub-species, may result in erroneous conclusions. Phrllnosoma cornutum Harlan, Texas horned lizard. LlIgosoma laterale Say, Little brown sklnk. Eumeces fasciatus Linnaeus, Common five-lined sklnk. Only one specimen available, UOMZ 1881, from 9 miles southeast Cache. . Eumeces obsoletus Baird and Girard, Great Plains skink. Eumeees ·septentrionalis obtusirostris Bocourt, Southern prairie skink. Onemidophorus saeki gularis Baird and Girard, Blue-bellied racerunner. ('nem idoph01'US sexiineatus Linnaeus, Six-lined racerunner. Ophisaurus attenuat'Us atten'Uatus Baird, Glass-snake lizard (9). Remarks from Ortenburger's field notebook for June 10, 1928 state that "when I tried to step on it, it ran into water, I was able to step on it as it lay on the bottom. The water at this place was one foot deep." This specimen was taken from West Cache Creek on the east side of Elk Mountain. Leptotyphlops d'Uleis d'Uleis Baird and Girard, Texas bUnd snake. Leptotyphlops d'Uleis disseeta Cope, bUnd snake. Klauber (8) reduced the two blind snakes in Oklahoma to sub­ species of Leptotyphlops duleis. He regarded Comanche County as a region of intergradation, but discusses the possibility of hybridization. Two specimens, UOMZ 26613 and 26879, not examined by Klauber, have dorsal scale counts of 210 and 223 respectively (d'Ulets); the count 01 22;-s IS high for d'Ulcis in thIS re~ion, and low for dissecta. The anterior supralabial is entire on both sides of the head in 26613 (4tdc(,), but vertically divided on both sides of the head in 2,6879 (disseeta). Neither specimen has a divided occipital (dis.'lecta) , but both have a widen€d fifth dorsal scale (dissecta). Smith and Taylor (19) regard the blind snakes in question as distinct species. Diadophis punctatus arnyi Kennicott, Prairie ring-necked snake. All sixteen specimens available from Comanche County have 16 dorsal scale rows at mid-body. This emphasizes the findings of Blanchard (3), who reported a preponderance of 15 scale rows at mid­ body in examples from western Oklahoma in contrast to the normal count of 17 seale rows in specimens from eastern Oklahoma. H eterodon platllrhinos Latreille, Eastern hog-nosed snake. Heterodon nasicus nasku8 Baird and Girard, Western hog-nosed snake. Opheodrys aestivus Linaeus" Rough green snake. Oolaber constrktor flavtventris Say, Blue racer. Martkophf.t flagellum teBtace-aa Say, Western coachwhlp. Forty-seven apecimens available from the county are a uniform llgJJ.t tan throughout their length, and are considered to be te,face... ODe indiVidual, UOMZ 1748, (no exact locality) Is dark brown to black 90 PROCEEDINGS OF THE OKLAHOMA

anteriorly, Ught brown posteriorly, and thus resembles Mastlcophis ,. flagellum; this specimen probably came from the eastern part of Comanche County as the subspecies flagellum occurs in Stephens County directly to the east. The specimens here called flagellum are more probably representatives of an extensive intergrading population Which occurs roughly along the 97th meridian in Oklahoma. Elaphe guttata emorlli Baird and Girard, Emory's rat snake. Elaphe ob8oleta obsoleta Say, Pilot black snake. elegans blanchardi Klauber, glossy snake. PUuophis cateni!er aa1li Schlegel, Bull snake. BMnochetlus lecontei tes8eJlatus Garman, Eastern long-nosed snake. Two specimens, UOMZ 12595 and 12714, from Sterling and 6 miles south, 1 mile east of Sterling. Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster Harlan, Blotched king snake. Lampropeltis getulus holbrooki Stejneger, Speckled king snake. Lampropeltis getulus splendida Baird and Girard, Sonoran king snake. Blanchard (2) first reported this subspecies from the State, based on a single specimen (U. S. Nat. Museum 1697) collected between Cache Creek and Red River. A king snake, UOMZ 26893, from the Refuge 1s tentatively regarded as L. g. splendida. It is a female measuring aIr proximately 520 mm. in body length and 70 mm. taU length. The dorsal scale rows number 21-23-21·19. The black dorsal blotches are spotted for only a short distance back of the head. The crossbands are not speckled but solid yellow and average about one scale in width. There is a distinct alternating series of smaller black blotches on the sides. The head is black and yellow-speckle(I; the venter is evenly checked with black and yellow. The specimen agrees with the de­ scription of splendida (2) in having 23 scale rows but the dorsal pattern of sol1d yellow bands and evenly-checked black and yellow venter does not conform to the description of typical splendida in which the dorsal bands are speckled and the belly Is mostly black. This specimen may represent an extreme variant of L. g. holbrooki, since there are 23 scale rows occasionally in this subspecies. Some large specimens from western Oklahoma have fairly well·defined, speckled, dorsal crossbands, with a venter that is mostly black, but all have 21 scale rows. Stejneger (20) mentions western examples of 'holbrooki from Arkansas and Indian Territory that approach the color pattern of splendida, and Smith (17) comments on specimens of holbrooki from southwestern Kansas that approach the color pattern of splendida. Lampropeltis triangulum gentilis Baird and Girard, Western milk snake. episcopa episcopa Kennicott, Great Plains ground snake. This species usually has a loreal, but its occasional absence makes it a rather weak key character (21). Twenty-one specimens had a loresl on both sides of the head. In two specimens, UOMZ 26635 and 25021, the loreal was absent on both sides of the head, and in UOMZ 25849 It was lacking on the right side only. All specimens were a uniform light brown above except one individual, UOMZ 26469, which had dark crossbands on the body. Natri:e erJ/throgCJ8ter transversa Hallowell, Blotched water snake. Natrit& graham' Baird and Girard, Graham's water snake. ACADEMY OF SCIENCE FOR 1953 91

Natriz rhomb.llera rhombllera Hallowell, Diamond-backed water snake. Btorerla deka1li tezana Trapido, Texas brown snake. Thamnophis marcian~8 marcianu Baird and Girard, Marcy's garter Inake. Thamnophis marcianus nigrolateris Brown, Western checkered garter snake. Intergradation between T. m. marciana and T. m. ntgrolateril oeC1U'l in southwestern Oklahoma. Mittleman (10) In his erection ot the two subspecies, examined six specimens from Oklahoma and allocated tift as marcianus (four from Comanche County) and one as nigrolateril, from the southwestern and northwestern parts of the State respectively. A study of 31 specimens from Oklahoma reveals that the bulk of the Thamnophis marcianus population inhabiting Oklahoma is ,T. m. nigro­ lateris, with the influence of T. m. marciantt8 most prominent In BOuth· western Oklahoma. Seven Individuals from Comanche County, none examined by Mittleman, may be separated .into four nigroZateris (UOMZ 27461, 8268, 26633, and 8269 with respective ventral counts of 162, 168, 168 and 169), and three marcianu8 (UOMZ 22904:, 26841, and 13162 witb respective ventral counts of 162, 163 and 154). Subspeciflc differentia­ tion is based on ventral counts alone (155 or less, marcianu.a; 166 or more, nigrolateris) • Thamnophis saurit~s proximus Say, Western ribbon snake. TropUoclonion Iineatum Hallowell, Lined snake. One specimen from the county, UOMZ 1520, with no locality data. Tantilla gracilis gracilis Baird and Girard, Slender flat-headed snake. TantUla nigriceps lumicep8 Cope, Texas black-headed snake. H1IPsiglena torquata texana Stejneger, Texas night snake. .A.nci8trodon contortrix laticinctus Gloyd and Conant, Broad-banded copper- head. 8\8trvrus catenatus tergeminus Say, Western massasauga. OrotaZu atrox Baird and Girard, Western diamond rattlesnake. Orotalus viridis viridis Rafinesque, Prairie rattlesnake.

LITERATURE CITED

1. BLAIR. W. F., AlIiD T. H. HUBBEJ.L. 1938. The biotic districts of Oklahoma. Am. Midland Naturalist 20: 425-454. 2. BLANCHARD, F. N. 1921. A revision of the king snakes: genus Lampro­ peZtiB. U. S. Nat. Museum Bull. No. 114:111·260 3. . 1942. The ring-neck snakes, genus Dtadop'hi.8. Bull. Chlcaco Acad. Sci. 7 (1) : 5-144. 4. CAGLE, F. R. 1960. The life history of the slider turtle, p,eu4etnfl' ampta froosti (Holbrook). Ecol. Monographs 20:31-54. 5. • 1953. Two new subspecies of Graptem1l8 p8eudogeographfca. Occas. Papers Museum ZOol., Univ. Mich. No. 546:1-17. 6. CABB, A. F.1949.The identity of Malacoclem1l8 kohnl~ Baur. Herp., 5:9-10. 7. • 1952. Handbook of turtles. Ithaca: Comstock Publ. Auoc., Cornell Univ. Press. 92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE OKLAHOMA

8. KL~UBEB, L. M. 1940. The worm snakes of the genus Leptotllphlopa in the United States and northern Mexico. Trans. San Diego Soc. Natural HiBt. 9(18) :87-162. 9. McCONKEY, E. H. 1964. A systematic study of the North American lizards ot the genus Oph'tSQllrus. Am. Midland Naturalist 51:133-171. 10. MrrrLEM:AN, M. B. 1949. Geographic variation in Marcy's .garter snake, Thamnopkia marcian1l8 (Baird and Girard). Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci. 8(10) :235-249. 11. OBTENBUBGEB, A. I. 1926. A report on the amphibians and reptiles of Oklahoma. Proc. Okl~homa Acad. Sci. 6:89-100. 12. . 1926. Reptiles and amphibians collected in the Wichita Mountains, Comanche County, Oklahoma. Copela 166:137-138. 13. , AND B. FREEMAN. 1930. Notes on some reptiles and am- phibians from western Oklahoma. Pub!. Vniv. Oklahoma BioI. Surv. 2 (.) : 176-188. 14. SOHM:IDT, KARL P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press. 16. SMITH, H.M. 1938. Remarks on the status of the subspecies of SceloPOr1l8 undlllatus, with descriptions of new species and subspecies of the undlllat1l8 group. Occas. Papers Museum Zool., Vniv. Mich. No. 387:1-17. 16. ----. 1946. Handbook of lizards. Ithaca: Comstock Pub!. Co. 17. . 1950. Handbook of amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural Hlst., Misc. Publ. No.2: 1-336. 18. , AND A. B. LEONARD. 1934. Distributional records of reptiles and amphibians in Oklahoma. Am. Midland Naturalist 15:190-196. 19. , AND E. H. TAYLOR. 1945. An annotated 'checklist and key to the snakes of Mexico. V. S. Nat. Museum' Bull. No. 187: i-234. 20. STEJNEGEB, L. 1902: The reptiles of the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona. Proc. U. S. Nat. !'duse.um 25(1282) :149-16~. 21. STIOKEL, W. H. 1938. The snakes of the genus Sonora in the United States and Lower California. Copeia 1938. 4: 182-190. 22. STURGIS, R. S. 1939. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Chicago Naturalist 2: 9·20.